2018 PowerShares QQQ 300
|First_Team=JR Motorsports|First_Driver=Tyler Reddick|Distance_laps=143|Distance_km=480|Description=Race 1 of 33 in the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season|Course_mi=2.5|Course_km=4|Car=9|Avg=}} The 2018 Powershares QQQ 300 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on February 17, 2018, at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 143 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) asphalt superspeedway, it was the first race of the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Entry List Practice First practice Tyler Reddick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 45.874 seconds and a speed of 196.190 mph. Final practice Daniel Hemric was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 47.041 seconds and a speed o47f 191.322 mph. Qualifying Daniel Hemric scored the pole for the race with a time of 47.541 seconds and a speed of 189.310 mph. Qualifying results Race Tyler Reddick blocked with the skill of an offensive lineman over the closing laps and held on to win the closest race in NASCAR National Series history in Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway. In a two-lap dash that ended a race that reached new levels of ridiculousness, Reddick edged series veteran Elliott Sadler by a few feet in a photo finish during the fifth overtime of the Xfinity Series opener. Video clearly showed Reddick slightly ahead at the line, however. The side-by-side finish was so close that NASCAR’s scoring system, didn’t register a margin of victory for Reddick over Sadler. NASCAR said the 0.000 margin was the closest since electronic scoring debuted in 1993. The race was littered with cautions, a record 12 to be exact. An 18-car crash produced the ninth caution and sent the race past its regulation distance of 120 laps. Crash after crash followed on the first lap of scheduled green-white-checkered runs, extending the race overtime period to five overtimes and 23 laps, the longest such stretch in NASCAR history. There were fuel concerns for most of the lead cars. “I was surprised by the amount of overtimes," Earnhardt said. "The fans want to see a green flag finish and NASCAR tries everything they can to give them that opportunity. It was a really. interesting race. "It looked incredible, really fun to watch — especially the Cup guys up there mixing it up. They were very aggressive in making (Reddick) take the lead. Having Joey (Logano), and (Kyle) Larson, and Chase (Elliott) up there, it really was a fun mix. All of them feel like they’re the greatest plate racer that’s ever lived, and that’s the way they drive." Following Reddick and Sadler at the finish were Ryan Reed, Kaz Grala and Garrett Smithley. Xfinity Series regulars took the first seven positions, a rarity with several Cup Series regulars in the field. Elliott, also driving for JR Motorsports, was a challenger at the front, but his shot at the win ended late in the day when he had to pit to replace the right-side window on his Chevrolet. The incident injected a bit of humor into a long race as the pit crew waited while a team member ran to the garage area to pick up a replacement window and return at sprinter speed to the team’s pit. Race results Stage Results Stage One↵''Laps:'' 30 Stage Two↵''Laps:'' 30 Final Stage Results Laps: 83 Category:Xfinity Series races Category:2018 in NASCAR Category:NASCAR races at Daytona International Speedway